Uraling to a farm and meeting a "big toys" kind of guy.

On the 19th of June, I had agreed to meet a co-worker friend of mine at the home of one of his friends.  Oscar's friend was named Tony and the picture painted for me by Oscar of  Tony's penchant for "big boy toys" had me intrigued.  Oscar was also going to show me about welding at the same time and since that's a skill I need to learn with Ural ownership......

On the way to Boulder, I meandered through southern Denver and passed through it's "Designer District".  One of the stops I like to make is the "Articulated Wall" that is on display there:

Natasha at the "Articulated Wall" in Denver's Designer Center

After these shots I took the more sedate route to Boulder, using CO93 instead of the super slabs.  On the way, I shot this rocky ridge formation near the town of Leyden which always catches one's eye:

On CO93, near Leyden exit.

We all met at Tony's place, a designated "historic" farm near Boulder on the far eastern outskirts of the city.  The place is quite old but not bad in shape.  Due to its historic designation, Tony (who's renting the place), is not allowed to modify the exterior of the farm house and outlying barns and sheds but the owner can pretty much do what he wants with the insides.  What it boils down to is lots of storage space for all Tony's stuff.

Tony's rental home

As you can see above, a rustic looking barn on a farm.  Natasha was parked under the cool shade of one of the many trees on the property.  You can see a large trailer on the left further on, it was the main reason Oscar and crew was assembling at this farm.

You see, Tony is building himself a monster rock-crawler.  As part of the process, he'd bought five army-surplus truck axles.  These were the kind of axles the army uses on its biggest trucks and Tony hopes to use them to navigate the rough terrain endemic of the rock-crawling avocation.

Future Rock-Crawler axles, former Army-surplus gear.

Tony is not a man to think in normal small measures.  Each of the axles above, and he bought five of them, weighs over 2500 lbs each!  Can you image the beast of a machine he's got in mind?  I can't, but am sure I'll be seeing it sometime in the future.

The axles weighed so much that a small forklift was rented by Tony to offload them and store them in one of the sheds dotting the farm.

Here's Tony offloading the cases containing the axles

Tony was actually quite masterful in his handling of the forklift, he ended up putting all five shipping crates inside this one shed.
Quite impressive.

The rest of the day was spent helping Tony re-organize all the stuff he'd moved up here from Arizona.  It was a lot of stuff and I am told there's two more large truckloads to come!  The man sure has lots of "big boy toys", to include apparently a boat capable of holding 14 people.  I left shortly after Oscar started welding a couple of welding tables together for Tony and before the really hard work of offloading a hot tub from another trailer was started.

 Natasha resting in the shade while we moved stuff around

Best part of the day?  Giving Oscar's infant son Stevie a ride in the sidecar rig, safe in his mother's arms and Natasha rolling at less than 2 mph at most throughout the grassy areas comprising Tony's farmhouse rental property:

Here Stevie seems to be giving me a questioning look:

"what are you doing there and what am I doing here?"

This was shot after a couple of circuits of the grassy areas around the multiple sheds/barns on the property.

As you can see, Stevie took it all in stride.

Independence Pass on Independence Day, 2010

This past Sunday, I woke shortly after 6:00AM from a somewhat restless night in Gunnison, CO where I'd overnighted after a long day on Natasha, my Ural Sidecar Rig. 

It was the United States of America's 234th birthday, Independence Day!

I got cleaned up and was packing up my stuff into the sidecar when folks went by exclaiming about balloons.  At first, it didn't register with me why they'd be getting all excited over balloons.  Then I looked up from my packing and saw this:

My first balloon sighting of the day

I hurriedly finished up, did a quick TCLOCS on Natasha, and rode out of the motel parking lot to go balloon hunting.  It didn't take me long to find the rest of them as the launching field was Jorgensen Park which was just down the street from the motel.

I turned towards a community baseball field and positioned Natasha for photos with the balloons already aloft.

The town of Gunnison sure knows how to start off celebrations for the Fourth of July!

Gunnison is the home of Colorado's Western State College

Apparently, the ballooning club or group which was putting on this mass flight was permitted to touch down in whatever spot was big enough to fit their balloon in.  Quite unusual for me to see hot air balloons seemingly landing where they pleased to swap passengers and chat with the crowds:

Swapping passengers at a street intersection

I left town at 07:45 AM, a bit behind schedule due to chasing the balloons but I think it was worth it.  It was quite chilly this morning in the Gunnison Valley, had to stop to don my insulated liner and heavy gloves!  I made the slow climb up to Monarch Pass and stopped a couple of times for photographs and to let cagers get by me.

One last look at Gunnison Valley

I finally reached Monarch Pass' summit area and posed Natasha to give you a feel for the views available from the top of the pass:

Some of the mountain peaks visible from the summit of Monarch Pass

I made my way down from Monarch Pass until I go to the junction of US50 and US285 at Poncha Springs.  I went north on US 285, admiring how the morning sun bathed the Collegiate Peaks in bright sunlight.  I continued north on US24W just south of the town of Buena Vista.

After cruising slowly through town, it was about 25 miles later that I got to the junction with CO82, the road to Independence Pass.  One is soon rewarded with a great mountain scene upon turning from US24, luckily the traffic was light since it was only 9:30AM on a Sunday:

I think this is Mount Elbert

The next few shots should give you an idea of the wonderful views and twisty roads available for riders on the way up to the summit of Independence Pass.  There were lots of motorcycles on this road today, no big surprise there.

Another view of Mt Elbert? as I was heading up CO82 towards Independence Pass

This is about the halfway up point 

The road up to the summit is paved but it suffers from lots of undulating bumps and dips.  I am sure its the result of frost heave action but its something to keep in mind.  There's no guard rails so it pays to keep an eye on the road and stopping where its safe for pictures and scenery gazing.

The view of neighboring peaks from the last hairpin turn before the summit

Glimpses of the road I'd just ridden, from where I stopped at the last hairpin turn before the summit

Soon after taking the above pictures at the last hairpin turn, I was at the summit of Independence Pass.  It wasn't too crowded at all and I was able to park Natasha by the pass sign.  Not sure how the fellow riding the 1200LT Beemer is going to back out of that spot where he left his motorcycle.

The requisite picture of the sign at the pass

I did not tarry long at the top of the pass, I had miles to go and a social gathering to attend in the evening you see.  I made my way back down from the pass, taking the same road I'd taken up instead of continuing on CO82 to the town of Aspen which lies at its northern end.

This was the best shot of the day, in my opinion.  

I'd just come off the summit and turning towards the first hairpin turn.

Coming down from Independence Pass was not bad at all, in spite of the bumps and dips in the road.  They are working on the road so I am sure it'll be better soon.  I kept having to pull off and let speeding cars rush their way down from the pass, guess they had places to go, never mind the scenery around them.  Soon I was back at the small town of Twin Lakes near where I stopped for this last shot of the mountains.

View of the mountains near Independence Pass from the vicinity of Twin Lakes

Once back on US24, I kept heading North towards Leadville to see what I could see as I made my way to the I-70 super slab which lies about 37 miles north of Leadville.  I got to Leadville after the Fourth of July Festivities had come and gone apparently.  All that remained were the crowds walking amongst the tourist shops.  I left Leadville and pointed Natasha at Fremont Pass.  This another of Colorado's passes and you get to it from Leadville via CO91.

Just before you climb the last mile to Fremont Pass' summit, you see the massive excavations of the Climax Mining Company:

The mining operations are quite visible on the way up to Fremont Pass

Nice scenery near the mine operations

Continuing on CO91, I came upon one of my favorite picture spots when riding the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway:

On CO91, north of Leadville

Soon I was in the Copper Mountain Ski Resort town and took I-70 East towards Denver hoping to make some time even though Natasha really doesn't like the speeds one has to maintain on this highway.

Natasha and I endured it as long as we could but we finally just bailed near Genesee Park.  This semi-trailer hauling mail and I had been playing tag with each other on the slow lane and it was a bit nerve-wracking for me.  I'd pass him going uphill (can you believe it?) but then he'd bear down on me when heading downhill and zoom past me.  We repeated this dance sequence a couple of times and I tired of it first.

I was reminded how bad it can be on one's nerves, even when riding a highly capable motorcycle like my R80 Beemer, to ride in medium to heavy traffic on any Interstate highway.  Once on the backroads heading into the Denver Metro area, things got much better and the rest of my ride was nice and calm.

Only 279 Kilometers of riding today, perhaps 6 hours in the saddle overall.  Natasha did great the last two days, covering over 600 miles with no complaints and just a few drops of engine oil left on the motel's parking spot.  (Yes, I did wipe it up).

Patrick's Birthday Ride

It was Number One Son's birthday and he'd requested a short "ride with dad" as part of his special day's events.

Patrick, or Thing One as my loving wife calls him, had a pretty good day....got to pick what to eat at mealtimes, got the Lego set he wanted (way overpriced in my opinion but it was his birthday money), and he and I went out for a ride in the coolness of the evening near sunset.

We rode out to the local undeveloped culdesac area (which I guess in a sign of possible better economic climate, is finally being developed) and we sat to watch the sunset.  We were trying to catch that "brief flash of green" that sailors report seeing when the sun sets.

Patrick gazes at the setting sun

Pointing out some fireworks to me

Not known for his patience, then again what boy is, Patrick did great waiting with me for the sun to set and mostly kept his focus on the horizon.  We'd occasionally see fireworks as folks who couldn't wait till darkness set off their illegal fireworks in the distance.

As darkness fell, we could barely distinguish some green where the darkening blue of the sky and the warm yellow glow of the sunset mixed but nothing really stood out for us.  The mosquitoes came out with the oncoming darkness as well and I kept moving the rig about the area to try and lose them but it was not a winning proposition.

Finally, the sun and its remaining light disappeared and darkness fell on us.  Patrick and I headed back home in the dark and got to our culdesac in time for the neighbor's display of fireworks which was setup in the middle of the culdesac.

At its peak, this one firework had stuff flying up to about 20 ft high from the center of the culdesac!

The finale fireworks, was pretty impressive and probably illegal here in Colorado but both my sons and the neighbors who were outside to witness it seemed to enjoy it.  My number two son Miles is already trying to convince me to go on a road trip to Wyoming next year to "procure real fireworks".

Uraling to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

On the eve of our nation's birthday, I set out at 8:00 AM from my home with a vague plan to ride out to Gunnison, CO and from there see the sights of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.  Not much preparation on my part, I'd not even decided until I woke to do the ride!

A quick breakfast, some packing and a kiss from my loving wife and I was out the door.  I took US285 out of Denver and by 10:00 AM I'd reached and cruised past Kenosha Pass and had a clear view of the Colorado Plateau valley where the towns of Jefferson, Fairplay and South Park are located.

I stayed on US285 all the way past Fairplay and soon was where it junctions with US24 near Buena Vista.  As I was trying to make time, I didn't stop at the usual spots to get pictures of the imposing and beautiful Fourteeners that make up the Collegiate Peaks.  However, here's a link to previous rides with pictures of these majestic mountains:  LINK

Soon enough I was at the junction of US285 and US50 near Poncha Springs.  I took US50 westward and made my way up to the summit of Monarch Pass where one crosses the Continental Divide in this part of Colorado.  Natasha was laboring, as usual, on the uphill roadway leading to each pass, but she always reached the top!

Cruising down from Monarch Pass, it was light traffic and winding mountain road until I reached Gunnison at 12:30 PM.  I checked in with my loving wife and continued onwards.  Black Canyon was about 45 miles or so from Gunnison so it took me another hour or so before I was riding into the national park.  On the way, one travels through the Curecanti National Recreation Area.

The Dillon Pinnacles

Near the Dillon Pinnacles, just after crossing over Blue Mesa Reservoir

The entrance fee is $7 and luckily traffic continued light in terms of folks visiting the park.  My first stop was Tomichi Point where one can gaze into the depths of Black Canyon for the first time:

The view from Tomichi Point

Tomichi was the Native American name for the Gunnison River

I started my exploration of Black Canyon by riding along the South Rim Road, I hope you enjoy the pictures I took as I rode along, stopping where I could and where a view was to be enjoyed.

It's a long way down

Near the South Rim Rd Visitor Center

The Chasm View Overlook

A distant glimpse of the Gunnison River

The South Rim Road deadends with a turnaround parking lot.  I cruised on back towards the Visitor Center.  On the way, I stopped at one trail, Dragon Point, and walked in since it was only 100 yards to the overlook site.  The day was hot so I was not about to walk some of the other trails to other lookout points.

A view of the Gunnison River from Dragon Point

A view of "The Painted Wall"

I think this is a Joshua Tree, located near the Dragon Point Scenic Overlook

Mounting back onto Natasha, who's new Ducati ignition system was doing GREAT in the heat of the day and multiple stops and starts, I went back towards the Ranger station at the entrance to the park.  I then took the river access road which leads down into the canyon.

It was a slow going, use the brakes carefully but often, ride down a pave road with up to 16 degree grades slope.  I was glad once again that traffic was light and I didn't have some car behind me.  I made it down to the bottom of the canyon and rode towards Crystal Dam.  The way is barred to the actual dam so I turned around at that point for some pictures:

Near Crystal Dam

Riding along the bottom of Black Canyon, with the Gunnison River running alongside

Near the Gunnison Tunnel and Diversion Dam

Once I'd exhausted the picture sites down by the Gunnison River, I pointed Natasha back up the sometimes steep road back towards the top of Black Canyon.  Natasha never did struggle much on the way up, as I was taking it nice and slow, always searching for a safe spot to stop her at for one more picture:

Heading up from the bottom of Black Canyon

I left the park and wound my way back down to US50.  It was close to 5:00 PM at this point, I'd covered the South Rim Rd and River Access road in about two hours.  I recommend you budget more time if you're inclined to take the many short hikes to the many scenic overlooks.  There's also a North Rim Road but that will have to wait for another day.

About an hour later I was nearing the outskirts of Gunnison and stopped once again near the Dillon Pinnacles as the afternoon sun was illuminating them quite nicely:

 Panoramic view near Dillon Pinnacles, west of Gunnison, CO

Dillon Pinnacles

I arrive at Gunnison shortly after 6:00 PM and found a room on the east side of town at the Western Motel.  Nice old fashioned motel, with clean accommodations and a decent price.  Heck, the lady at the front desk even let me park Natasha under the overhand by the front office!  There was a power outlet right there and Natasha's batteries are charging even as I type this.

A pretty good day's worth of riding.  I figure I spent perhaps 9hrs in the saddle and covered 541 Km (324 miles) with Natasha performing very well.

Natasha rests after a long day on the road.